official stance on centering prayer

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I am doing a study on centering prayer and would like feedback on the pros and cons on this prayer form. Also, I would like to know the official stance from the Church as well. I have recieved an overwhelming amount of good response from lay and clergy in favor of centering prayer and some negative from a very few. There seems to be certain elements within the Church who feel that it is not of God and that there can be severe repercussions (bite in butt) from using this prayer form. Please let me know. Thanks!!

-- Anonymous, July 09, 1998

Answers

Response to Centering Prayer

Kevin, I once attended a retreat on Centering Prayer, and found it to be rather like the Transcendental Meditation I'd read about in the '70's - the idea of repeating a single word (like a mantra) to bring oneself to a centered place - that kind of transcendant prayer. It is a discipline, certainly, and it is unusual for most catholics in that it is not part of a formal devotion, there are no written prayers - it's all kind of vague. I remember hearing one person on retreat discussing the potential dangers of centering prayer as being "self-absorbing". I don't know about that, the two nuns who ran the retreat were well known to me, and they are not at all "self-absorbed". It didn't do much for me personally, but very likely that is because I am un-centered and un-quiet - I'm more of a bounce off the walls type...all through the retreat, I kept wanting to TALK! (This shouldn't seem at all surprising to most of you who've read my posts!) Ultimately, I find keeping a daily journal to be more centering than Centering Prayer, but I know people who feel it's created a very rich "stillness" in them, and have credited CP with bringing them back to Christ...so, if the method is known by it's fruit...it seems pretty fruitful!

-- Anonymous, July 09, 1998

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